New Details about the HOPE Assessment Tool
As required in the 2020 Hospice Final Rule, CMS is moving forward with their development of a new patient assessment tool called HOPE (Hospice Outcomes and Patient Evaluation). The two …
Insights and News
Hospice Provider Preview Reports are Available Now
Hospice provider preview reports and Hospice CAHPS Survey provider preview reports have been updated and are now available. These two separate reports are available in your CASPER non-validation reports folder. …
CMS Issues a New Rule Targeting Fraud in Federal Insurance Programs
CMS issued a final rule designed to stop fraud before it happens by keeping unethical providers out of federal health insurance programs like Medicare. CMS wants to end what they …
Valuable Webinars for Hospice Providers from CGS: Stay Ahead of the Curve!
CGS has uploaded recordings of several valuable hospice-related webinars. All hospice providers should take a look at the topics offered and make sure that they’re staying on top of compliance. …
CMS Expands on Plans to Increase Oversight in Nursing Homes
Last April, CMS announced a five-part strategy to increase safety and quality in nursing homes. Their five goals are: 1: Strengthen Oversight 2: Enhance Enforcement 3: Increase Transparency 4: Improve …
Hospice Compare Quarterly Refresh is Available Now
The August 2019 quarterly Hospice Compare refresh of quality data is now available. It is base on HIS quality measure results from data collected from Q4 2017 to Q3 2018, …
HHS Proposes the Removal of Some Addiction Treatment Privacy Restrictions
Today, HHS announced proposed changes to the regulations that govern the confidentiality of patient records created by federally-assisted substance use disorder treatment programs. The most notable change would enable primary …
Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Want to Merge
In Massachusetts, the two largest insurers, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, have announced plans to merge. Modern Healthcare provides an excellent breakdown of what this could mean for …
Catastrophic Shortage of Home Care Workers in Maine
A new article from the Washington Post highlights a problem that providers have struggled with for years – finding good employees and preventing turnover. Workers in entry-level home health and …
New Primary Care First Webinar is Available from CMS
This week, CMS hosted a webinar that provided more details about Primary Care First. This program is designed to strengthen partnerships between primary care providers and palliative care providers to …